Embracing the Wolf
by skatergurljubulee
Summary: Structure. That's what Henry needed. Henry/Will pre-slash; first in the Wolfverse series, DoM SLASH follows this. THIS IS A REPOSTING. NOT NEW.


Title: Embracing the Wolf

Author: Skatergurljubulee

Pairing: Henry, Will; pre-slash

Rating: PG-13/Teen

Disclaimer: I don't own Sanctuary, and I have no interest to. Just playing a bit in the world.

Summary: Structure. That's what Henry needed.

Structure.

That's what Henry needed.

Just like what the Sanctuary provided with its tall walls of stone and wood. Its steadfastness was solid and dependable. He could always count on the Sanctuary being where it was supposed to.

Like this morning. He woke up at the crack of dawn, morose and ill at ease, his wolf needing to explore… to hunt. The need to prowl overwhelmed him, and no amount of work in the lab was going to distract his wolf. His bare feet touched into every carpet, wood, tile and stone the stronghold possessed. He touched the icy stone walls in the tunnels, the antique wall paper in the main halls and the wood paneling in the study. Henry probed every part of the place where he called home, still unsatisfied, still _searching_. For what, he wasn't sure.

No, that wasn't true. He knew what his wolf sought, but Henry refused to acknowledge his needs.

Ready to give up, Henry settled on the library. Well, his wolf was the one that insisted on this. The wolf believed he'd find what he needed inside the sprawling room that smelled of old books, dust, and concentration (concentration smelled like coconuts to the wolf's nose and, incidentally, to Henry's nose as well). The sun had started to climb up and shine into the courtyard right outside the library's windows by the time Henry had finished making his trek back and forth from the lab to the library with all the things he would need for the day. He set up shop at one of the larger and longer tables the library had near the back of the library. Henry chewed on his thumb while he surveyed his temporary setup. It was far enough from the action in the main hallway of the Sanctuary that he wouldn't be too disturbed by noises, yet close enough to be at the beck and call of his teammates. With a nod he found it satisfactory.

Content, Henry sighed gently as he sank down into the chair in the middle of the table, his wolf panted in his mind's eye in agreement. _If only the wolf could be this content all the time,_ he mused. These days the wolf was constantly present. It- _he_- was always a breath, a blink, a thought away from the surface and, more times than not, the wolf was aggressive.

_Surprise_, _surprise_, Henry snorted. If only the meds had worked longer it would've given him time- no, that wasn't it. All the meds (and the surgery, Henry thought, his body's genetic makeup changed when he morphed; who's to say that it was impossible to get rid of the wolf?) would have just postponed the inevitable. The ultimate goal was to be able to live drug free. At least, it was for Henry. Being drug free forced him to live with his wolf. Made him want to control his urges (well, some of them, anyway) and learn what they meant. He needed a clear head for that. But it was an uphill battle to learn control. It was climbing a mountain only after having lost the battle on the ground; to travel to the enemy's camp only to die by yourself, sorely outnumbered by the enemy. Cornered and hopeless, a lose-lose situation all around.

Was there a day that the wolf didn't try to take control?

Believe it or not, he'd gotten a good hold on his control. But there was another step he needed before he would feel comfortable enough to tell Magnus and Ashley to lay off carrying the tranquilizer guns twenty-four/seven.

It was structure. He needed boundaries. How far was too far? When sniffing out abnormals, how many sniffs was too many sniffs before the wolf felt threatened and triggered the Change? When did anger turn into fury which caused the Change?

Henry had always had a problem with knowing when to stop. He wasn't a compulsive gambler or drug addict or anything like that. But he could get himself worked up into an emotional frenzy. He was man enough to admit that he was a pretty emotional guy. Henry suspected that he'd have it a lot easier as a Lycanthrope if he had a better handle on his emotions. After all, a Lycan's middle name was pretty much Control. And if his middle name was Control, his first name was Structure. Without walls to tell him where to stop there was no way in Hell he'd know where to enact his control.

Henry was sure that for most it was easy to see when and where to stop before they went insane, but for him it'd always been kinda murky. Henry suspected that it had a lot to do with his human side and wolf side being at odds. Human law was very different from the law of The Wild. Henry surmised that if he were fully human or fully wolf, he wouldn't be so conflicted. He hoped. It wasn't like he was schizo or anything. He had control over every other part of his life, just not his emotional parts. Unfortunately for him, it was the emotions that were the biggest trigger for a Lycan. _Awesome_. So, if he could just figure out when to stop, he'd be able to control his wolf better.

See, it all came back to good 'ole structure. And release. Yeah, that too.

Henry had a lot of time to think about himself and his wolf when he'd been on that stroll. _Maybe a little too much time_, he thought with a grimace, as he went to work setting up his wireless devices and preparing for the day.

He figured once he'd accomplished the structure and control parts he could get comfortable and be able to have release. Uh, as much release as was possible for an Abnormal Werewolf to have. He couldn't completely forget his wolf existed, but maybe he could forget for a few hours. Hell, he'd settle for forgetting for a few minutes. And maybe release wasn't the right word. Freedom. Yeah, freedom -- that worked better. Any day he didn't surrender to the beast was a good day. He'd be able to live his life, day by day, and not be in constant conflict with his other half. That was enough freedom for him.

Structure. Control. Freedom.

Those were the things he needed to be able to live his life.

"Shouldn't be too hard to get there," he mumbled to himself as he plugged his handheld into his laptop to sync. The handheld's screen came on for a second before flickering off. _Great, just what I need -- a short out._ After trying several different methods to turn on the device, it still wouldn't come on.

Henry placed the device on the table's surface and stared at it for several seconds. The wolf growled deep within him and letting him take control, Henry slammed his open palm on the table in a fit of frustration. Then he gaped at what he'd done.

There was a hand shaped indentation in the wood table's surface.

"Maybe it's going to be a little harder than I thought," Henry whispered to himself.

_Yeah_, way _easier said than done._

When the sun's rays pierced through the cathedral windows of the Sanctuary's library and shined down on his makeshift work table, Henry's day began. He found it a lot easier than he thought to block out the sounds of the waking Sanctuary while he sorted some glitches in the Sanctuary's mainframe. His Lycan senses picked up all sorts of noises that were caused from the typical morning habits of the inhabitants, but the strength of his concentration kept all the distractions at bay. There were some positives to the whole "I'm-an-unmedicated-Were-oh-my-freaking-God" thing. Henry found he was capable of all sorts of things when other options were nonexistent. His body was an amazing thing (despite what his exes might say). Sight was better, miles better. All he had to do was focus his attention on any given object and he could see it with almost crystal clarity. He could take a direct hit straight to the face or stomach without blinking (or blacking out, much). He had no real idea how much the pills were dampening his body to his wolf capabilities until he had cut his thumb open trying to slice a ham sandwich a few days ago. Magnus had fussed in her own way and given him stitches (seven) to close the wound. When she checked on it the next day, his thumb was already healed. He had to thank the Big Guy Upstairs for the dissolving thread Magnus used on a whim. It would have been hell getting those stitches out otherwise. Needless to say, he healed faster than the average human; Uh, the average non-abnormal human.

But yeah, hearing was off the map; he had no problems listening in on conversations through the stone walls of the Sanctuary -- if they were two doors down from him. It was a little harder to hear conversation going on when he was in the lab. All the electronic equipment caused interference and played like white noise to his ears. If he was particularly nosy (which wasn't very often; he valued his privacy more than most people and he wasn't too eager to invade on others) he could concentrate and hear the dregs of a conversation, you know, just enough to figure out if they were talking about him. It made him feel like a superhuman instead of a rampaging monster; a human with a gift instead of a curse.

Out of all the enhanced senses, smell was the most beneficial. Being able to smell a person from a mile (easily) away, identify if they were friend or foe, was cool. Being able to tell their mood (if he knew them) before they rolled up on him was awesome. Yeah, he'd learned that certain types of animals (and any given abnormal) could sense another creature's mood based on how they smelled, but he never thought he'd be one of 'em. His wolf had been on cloud nine when the medications first wore off. And Henry had to admit it was kinda fun to apply certain smells to members of his team (or pack, as the wolf thought). They had the basic smell that came with living at the Sanctuary (stone, wood smoke, wires, the plastic smell of the scent-less detergent Bigfoot favored, the combined smell of all the abnormals under their care -- cough syrup, rainwater), but each member of his team, his family, had a distinguishing group of scents that were decidedly their own.

Henry's ears perked up as Bigfoot (clay, Earl Grey tea, roasted potatoes, The Wild) lumbered his way into the library from the farthest most entrance carrying a carafe of fresh coffee (only gourmet for the Neanderthal) with an assortment of pastries and snacks on a silver tray. The Big Guy knew trying to get Henry to eat any type of breakfast food this early in the morning was a lost cause. Bigfoot grunted before placing the tray in front of Henry soundlessly, his eyes gentle. Henry managed not to squirm too much under his friend's unassuming gaze. The Big Guy always knew where to find him, not that it was very hard. Henry was either in the lab or in his bedroom. Or eating. Henry ignored the heavy sigh and curious stare his friend adopted and set about figuring which pastry he wanted to devour. There were some lemon scones, a few sugar cookies with the secret ingredient in them (molasses! He _knew_ it was molasses!), a few slices of chocolate cake and a three slices of what looked like pineapple upside-down cake. Henry took a deep whiff of the cake_. Ah, definitely pineapple upside-down cake._ Henry avoided wagging his (invisible) tail, but only just. Pineapple was his favorite fruit; it was one of the few things he and his other half agreed on. He picked up the solid slice of cake and waved away the plate the Big Guy offered. His friend snorted and placed the plate under Henry's hunched over form anyway, to catch the errant crumbs that didn't make it into Henry's mouth.

The Big Guy's curious gaze quickly turned into a quelling glare when Henry refused to meet his eyes for more than a few scant seconds.

"What?" spoke Henry around chunks of pineapple.

"Why are you out of your lab? Ashley has wanted to test out her new gun for days." the Big Guy said gruffly, pointing a large hairy finger at the weapon in the chair on the right of Henry.

"She'll live. The gun should be ready for testing by the end of the day," Henry shrugged. "I needed out of the lab for a while. I was forgetting what it was like to be human. Well, abnormally human."

The Neanderthal rolled his eyes and thumped Henry on the side of his head none too gently.

"Ow! Hey! I heard you just fine, man," Henry scowled. "You almost made me drop my cake!"

"Do you think I don't know you, after all these years?" the Big Guy rumbled. He managed to insert irritation and hurt all into one sentence.

Henry glanced surreptitiously at the library entrance before he traded an exasperated look with the Neanderthal. "Look, I needed a break alright? I was feeling like a caged animal down there and thought a breather up here would be good. The wolf is...prowling, or something, and I was afraid I'd turn and start marking my territory," he sighed and pleaded with his eyes to his brother of sorts. "The gun's pretty much done already, definitely done by the end of the day. Ash'll have her new toy soon. And what's so weird about me being up here? I don't live in the lab, you know."

Bigfoot grunted and stared at Henry, unimpressed.

"Okay, maybe I spend a lot of time down there, but maybe it's time for a change." Had to be time for a change, right? It was one thing to deny his need for human contact because of work, but another thing entirely to freak himself out when he smelled loneliness (turpentine and nail polish remover) on his own skin. _Gross_.

Bigfoot grunted. "I came to warn you. Ashley and Dr. Magnus are arguing again."

Henry nodded as he swiped another slice of pineapple cake off the tray. "Yeah, I can hear. Something about letting things take their course and boundaries. Whatevs."

The Big Guy harrumphed. "She will search for you to find a distraction from her mother's words."

"Yeah…_crap_. I better double check the mechanics on the gun. She'll bite my head off if it's not ready!" Henry dropped the half of the cake he hadn't inhaled onto the plate Bigfoot set out for him and grabbed the gun from the empty chair beside him. Bigfoot raised an eyebrow at his young friend.

Henry had the good sense to look guilty. "It wouldn't have gone off, man. Totally, safe. Totally. You know, out of sight and out of mind and all that. The chair was even pushed under the table and everything." He hoped Bigfoot would ignore the fact that the chair wasn't pushed under the table.

Luckily, he didn't say anything, but if Henry could go back, he'd wish for the Big Guy to bring that up instead of what he chose to address.

The Big Guy gazed at Henry without speaking, seeming to find the root of the matter with just one gander. "Your wolf seeks him out. He's targeting the psychiatrist."

Startled, Henry glared at his long time friend for a moment before picking up a screw driver and fidgeting with the sonic gun. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "Will's a good guy and --"

Both abnormals lifted their eyes to the hallway right outside the library's entrance when a door slammed and the _click-clack_ of heels against tile reverberated off the stone walls. Relieved to have their conversation brought to a halt, Henry grinned when Bigfoot shuffled towards the back entrance of the Sanctuary's library to avoid incurring the wrath of the younger Magnus woman.

One of the first things Henry learned after Ash was born was to stay clear of her when she'd been in an argument with her mother. It would nearly guarantee all body parts would stay where they were supposed to be. And if coming into her presence was unavoidable, give the young woman whatever she wanted. Usually that meant guns with lots and lots of bullets.

"Coward," Henry called out to Bigfoot's retreating back as the Neanderthal closed the door to the back entrance to cover his escape.

Henry quickly put all his most valuable (and breakable) equipment underneath the table, bearing the inevitable: royally pissing off the blonde. It only took Ashley (leather, gun powder, kiwi lip-gloss, energy drink) a fraction of a second to narrow her eyes on Henry once she was inside the large library. "Why aren't you in the lab? I've been looking all over for you." She demanded.

_Liar_, Henry thought, _you're a good bluff, but all the racket two doors down and the stink of iron gives you way_. He was amused despite the glint of violence in Ashley's eyes. He made sure to school his face so that none of the said amusement showed on his face, costing him an arm or leg he was fond of. His best friend and sister of sorts would eat Henry alive if she knew he called her on the fib or worse yet, _patronized_ _her_.

Henry sighed dramatically, shaking his head in mock bereft, "I haven't seen the light of day for a week. Thought I'd see how you regular people were doing."

Ashley twisted her face into a frown, "Regular people? Dude, if you consider us regular people, then you need Mom to re-examine your head."

"Ha ha," Henry deadpanned. "Do you actually need anything? Unlike you, I've got work I need to do. So…"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll let you get back to your geekery in a minute. Is that sonic gun ready yet? I want to give it a test run." Ashley's eyes shined with merriment as she rubbed her hands together mischievously.

Henry waved his arms in front of Ashley to stave off her glee. "Whoa, slow your roll. It's almost ready." He shifted in his chair and glanced at Ashley's frowning face as he cradled the new gun. "Needs some tweaking before you can kill some defenseless bunnies. The stabilizer is good but the targeting system, if you choose to use it, is kinda wonky and it could do with another look-"

"Henry, I've got eyes and Mom had me in target practice before I was potty trained," Ashley said with a roll of the eye, her patience running thin.

"I know, but what if the trajectory's off too far and-"

"Henry_. Dude._"

Henry handed over the gun without another word. "You're gonna have to rely on your cradle target training until I can get a chance to look at the target system. Try not to get yourself killed too much. I'd never hear the end of it from the Boss-lady." Henry knew a losing battle when he saw one. Unfortunately, pitting against Ashley tended to always be fruitless.

Ashley squealed. "Thanks, Henry. I've been dreaming about this baby for weeks!"

Henry watched Ashley's retreating back and tried not to find the girl's interest in shooting things too disturbing. He chuckled under his breath. Ashley was right, regular people they were not. Henry turned back to his laptop, only to lift his head a moment later.

"Henry?" Ashley's disembodied head popped out from the edge of the library door. Her eyes watched him astutely, and Henry started to wonder if he'd forgotten a booger under his nose or something. Also, the scent of clovers (curiosity) was wafting off Ashley, putting him on edge. Whatever Ashley had to say, she was very interested in hearing and seeing Henry's reaction.

He swallowed thickly. "Yeah?"

"Mom said when you see Will to tell him she's looking for him. Could you send him her way when you see him?" Ashley's voice was as neutral and benign as her face, but her eyes were sharp and watchful as she spoke the words with poorly forced casualty.

Henry smirked. "When I see Will? You know, the Sanctuary's a big place, Ash. _If_ I see Will, I'll send him the Doc's way."

With only her head visible, Ashley managed to shrug. "Whatever, man. You guys have been hanging out a lot more than you used to since Will learned about your abnormality. You're practically attached at the hip these days."

"We are not. I just need someone to own on the PS3," Henry said indignantly. " And he's cool about being a sounding board for ideas on new weapons and hacking programs I want to try out. He doesn't want to shoot himself in the head like you threaten to do every time I mention the word _firewall_."

It was true too. Henry could see why Will had such little trouble getting even the worst abnormals (or the most irritating, like Two-Face) to open up. The man had the patience of a saint. Or the diligence of the truly insane.

"Whatever, dude. You just remember to tell him the place of BFF is already taken by yours truly." Ash said with a grin before taking off down the hall.

"How could I forget?" Henry mumbled to the empty library. The wolf growled companionably and Henry's primitive instincts rose as the wolf identified Ashley as family, as a part of his make-shift pack. Henry didn't need his wolf persona to validate what he already knew. He'd protect Ashley, Magnus and Bigfoot (though he doubted the Big Guy needed it) with his wolf and his life for as long as he lived.

When it came to Will, Henry was undecided.

_No, not again, I won't let you_. Henry shut his eyes tightly and gripped the table like a vice as a shudder passed through him. The wolf was trying to take control even at the mere thought of the other man. His wolf wasn't nearly conflicted; it knew exactly what it wanted where Will Zimmerman was concerned.

The wolf wanted Will Zimmerman dead.

Silence greeted Henry after Ashley left, and for a time he was able to work in peace. Magnus' (perfume, rubber gloves, wine, med lab, old blood) gentle step entered the library, and Henry didn't bother to look up from the monitor until she stood across the table from him.

He offered her a small distracted smile. "What can I do ya for, Boss?"

It didn't seem like they were going to let him get any work done. Henry remembered why he'd taken to being locked in his lab all the time. Maybe coming up to the library wasn't a good idea? Going by the not so subtle growl that passed through Henry's body, the wolf begged to differ. _Figures_.

"Oh, nothing right now, Henry." Magnus returned his smile, her eyes warm with a hint of maternal concern. The wolf was purring (_purring_? Henry didn't know wolves could do such a thing) inside him, and Henry resisted the urge to ask Magnus to scratch him behind the ears. _Stupid wolf. _

Henry was distracted by his thoughts when he smelled hesitancy (vanilla pudding) coming off Magnus in heavy waves. What had her so up in a tizzy? Well, a tizzy by Magnus' standards, anyway.

He tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowed in curiosity, "Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked_._

"I'll assume that our talks have begun to bear fruit instead of assuming you want to be rid of me, Henry," she said wryly.

Henry's mouth slackened and he blinked several times, the beginnings of a blush forming on his cheeks. "No, that's not why I asked! I mean… uh, I do want to know what you have to say. I'm not trying to kick you out." Geez, Henry hoped all guys were this flustered around their mothers.

"That's reassuring." Magnus said with mirth, her eyes holding the tiniest of twinkles. The amused smirk faded quickly and her brows drew together elegantly. "I take it you haven't seen Will today?"

Henry shrugged blithely and glanced at his monitor when the Pong screensaver popped up a moment later. "No, why do you say that?"

"You aren't irritated."

His eyes shot back up in surprise, he frowned at Magnus. "_Irritated_? Why would I be irritated?" Henry didn't know where Magnus was going with this, but he didn't like it very much so far.

Magnus looked at Henry knowingly, her right eyebrow arched, "I should think you know, deep down at least. Something has happened to you two."

Henry leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest and tried to look as unfazed as possible. _Think simple thoughts._ "Nothing's happened, alright? We're totally cool, always cool. We didn't go on any side missions if that's what you mean."

"Of course not; do you think I wouldn't know if the two of you left the Sanctuary? I'll rephrase, since my full meaning didn't come across as I had hoped." She made a sound of satisfaction and smiled at Henry. "'Happened' isn't correct. I should have said more aptly, that something has changed _between_ you two. Am I wrong to assume as much?"

Magnus peered shrewdly at Henry as he tried to calm his frantic mind. Nothing had happened between him and Will, not that he could point out, but something certainly had changed between them. Whatever it was, the change must have happened in the last four or five weeks. Henry was positive there wasn't any animosity between him and Will before then.

And animosity wasn't exactly the right word, either. Murder seemed to be the right word.

He couldn't pinpoint the exact time, when the bloodlust rose up inside him, when he started to wish for Will's blood -- Will's blood on his hands, on his skin, in his hair, in his mouth, down his throat. Didn't much matter to the wolf how or where it happened, as long as the bath in Will's blood and gore became a reality.

Henry knew better than most that feelings could be deceiving -- no matter how much he let himself be ruled them. He was well aware that despite his outward blasé behavior and attitude toward Will, on the inside he was a rollercoaster of rage and murder. And all of it was aimed at Zimmerman.

Henry grimaced and stared at his hands, biding his time before confirming Magnus' suspicions. If he was honest with himself, Will's strength as a profiler had always irritated him. Henry knew that if Will wanted to see how he ticked, all he had to do was look and collect the details with that creepy stare he used. He'd know what Henry kept hidden from the people that knew him best.

Will would know with his gimlet stare Henry's deepest and darkest secret: Most days Henry held onto his humanity with a ragged, tattered thread that was bound to snap, sooner rather than later.

If the secret were to get out, it would destroy everything that Henry had worked so hard for, all the things he treasured. All the trust he'd built, all his comfort, all the pack had to give him. His body thrummed with fear as it slowly started to sink in exactly what it meant to be abandoned -- again. Just the thought alone made Henry sweat, and he was liabel to join in with his wolf if Will Zimmerman even thought about making his secret known. _If that ever happened, all bets were off_.

But.

But what good was the pack if they were all dead?

By his hands?

His dark thoughts were a rude awakening, and Henry remembered where he was and to whom he was speaking to.

Henry glanced at Magnus, covered his mouth with his hand in scarcely suppressed anguish. "I…I don't know what you're talking about," he whispered hollowly.

Magnus kept silent; it stretched long and cold between them. When she finally spoke, it wasn't more than a whisper, but it was loud and accusing to Henry's ears. "Does Will know?"

Henry sighed as his left leg began to tap against the table's leg. There was no point in trying to pretend ignorance now, not to the all knowing and all seeing Helen Magnus. "He's the profiler. _You_ tell _me_," He retorted with bite.

Magnus didn't respond, her eyes betraying nothing, and Henry immediately regretted his words. He looked up at her with troubled eyes. "Ah, no, I don't think so. Well, maybe. He'd have to look for it to see it, I think." He shrugged by way of apology, his softer tone giving the gesture credence. "If he does know he hasn't clued me in."

"If I know, and Ashley has her doubts, then Will most certainly knows. As you've said, he's the profiler." Magnus fell silent for a moment, seeming to choose her words with care. Henry felt a pang of guilt; she'd inadvertently reminded Henry that he had not been as thoughtful a few breaths before. "Is that the reason you've been going out of your way to spend time with him? Are you trying to convince the Lycan part of yourself that Will isn't a threat?"

That was exactly what he was doing.

Henry certainly knew what he was trying to do to balance things between himself and his alter ego, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out _why_ his wolf felt the need to harm Zimmerman in the first place. Will wasn't overly aggressive, he preferred communication over violence, and wouldn't hurt a soul if it could be avoided. Not exactly the raging bull the wolf thought him. And the bloodlust was most times unprovoked by Will. Will was simply being himself. Henry had assumed it was because he was the new guy. He hoped to God that it was as simple as that.

"I don't understand it. I'm cool about Will, we're cool." Henry volunteered with an exasperated shake of his head. He tossed his left leg over his right and the leg immediately picked up the incessant tapping again. "But the wolf sees red whenever we're in the same room -- it takes all of my control not to jump him sometimes. And it's been pretty bad lately since the drugs are almost completely washed out of my system. And, well… I thought I came up here to get some air, but after talking to Ash and the Big Guy, I'm starting to think the wolf's intentions are what brought me up here in the first place."

Magnus folded her arms and leaned against the corner of the table casually, her dark eyes watching him intensely. _If I didn't know where Ashley got her stare from before, I definitely know now_, Henry thought dejectedly.

"I take it you prowled the Sanctuary again last night?" she asked both quietly and clearly.

Henry leaned on his crossed legs and rubbed his face roughly with his hands. "Yeah, and on top of that I had to force myself to steer clear of his room last night. Three times."

Magnus nodded, chagrined. "The chances of you running into Will in the library are high. It's the first place we all gravitate to when we're in need of information for a mission; and Will has an even greater chance of coming by during the day, given his preference to see the majority of his patients during the daylight hours -- and the library is an ample place to research a patient before a meeting." A slow smile bloomed on Magnus' face, her features evening out in a picturesque fashion. "That's very astute of the wolf."

Henry rolled his eyes, _Scientists, can't live with them -- can't live with them_. "Boss, hold off on the congratulations, please? We're talking about the wolf purposely searching Will out so that he can rip his throat open."

"That's what the wolf is doing, yes." Magnus agreed lightly, "But it's still quite impressive."

Henry huffed a sigh, "Impressive or not, it's pretty irritating. Even though it hurts to admit it to you guys, so far there's some really great stuff about my wolf that's really blowing my mind. But wanting to attack Will is _not_ one of them. If I don't figure something out soon… Well, I'd sooner have the surgery than kill a teammate, Boss-Lady."

The sides of Magnus' lips turned down ever so slightly. "I'm sure it won't come to that, Henry. There are other ways than the surgery, and I'm sure you and Will are resourceful enough to come to some sort of solution -- with my aide if you need it."

"W-Wait, what? What do you mean you? And Will? Can't I get a chance to work this out on my own first?" panic rose quickly, and Henry took a cleansing breath to stem the overflow of emotion. _He didn't need anyone's help. He was already a burden as it was._

"Normally I'd let you handle this at your own pace, but we're also talking about other members of the team, Henry." Magnus said as gently as possible, her eyes plaintive. "I can't let you risk their lives. Besides, I'm sure that as you've been trying to temper the wolf's reaction to Will in his presence, Will has been doing his own observing."

Magnus' words rang true with Henry. He hadn't known Will long, but in the short time he'd known him, Zimmerman had never turned down a chance to examine and decipher _anyone_. Henry groaned and rubbed his face again, "He probably already knows. _Aw Gawd." _

Magnus chuckled softly and ruffled Henry's hair in an uncharacteristic move of tenderness. Again, the wolf practically purred inside him. _Okay, now this was getting downright creepy. _"Whether he knows or not doesn't negate the fact that you should tell Will what's going on. He's a right to know, even if it is just so he can be prepared for any wayward attacks."

Henry flinched at Magnus' words, gentle as they were. "I think I've developed a little more control than that, Magnus. I mean, I haven't marked my territory or dug holes in the front yard. Give me some credit here." Well, except for the trolling he did last night. That could be considered marking his territory even if he didn't leave piss stains on the walls.

Magnus paid attention to Henry's body language in lieu of his sarcastic tone. "I'm not challenging your control. You admitted yourself just a moment ago that your wolf wanted to confront Will last night while he slept unaware. I'm sure you can agree that your control can always use improvement. There is nothing wrong with being prepared."

"Yeah, that's pretty much the company motto isn't it?" Henry replied rather pathetically.

He could understand Magnus' concerns, but it didn't soften the sting any. Truth was, he was a monster that was unpredictable and no matter how much he put his wolf on lockdown, he was still deadly. _Ugh, it was getting worse and worse, wasn't it? _

The Bluetooth device on Helen's hip beeped and she immediately looked at it. Henry sighed under his breath, thankful for the distraction from his Were drama. Again. It seemed distractions were on his side today.

"Hm, looks as if the tests are done in the lab." Magnus lifted her eyes from the device and gave Henry a business-like smile. "I need to return to work, but please keep what I've said in mind, Henry. The sooner you address the issue, the sooner it will be resolved."

Henry chuckled humorlessly. "Or the sooner it's resolved, the sooner Zimmerman ends up dead."

Helen smirked at him, unfazed by his dark comment. She turned and headed for the same exit Bigfoot had used earlier. But before leaving completely, she threw over her shoulder one last parting shot, "I'm sure it won't come to that, Henry. Can you try to be a little more confident in Will's abilities? And if not his abilities, have more confidence in your own."

Magnus always had the last word. And it was always the right last word. Henry wondered dejectedly if being right all the time could cause madness. If that was true, Magnus must be stark raving.

"Ah, and here's the mystery man now." Henry said as he feigned high interest in the pong screensaver. It irritated his wolf that he sensed Will way before he began to make his way towards the library. _Typical_. It was impossible to appease the wolf when it came to the wolf, unless he was talking murder.

Will (cologne, printer paper, coffee, ink, and the combined smell of the Sanctuary's abnormals- axel grease, well, that's what it smelled like when combined with Will's natural scents) walked into the library; his steady footfalls calming Henry the man, but caused unrest to his alter ego. The wolf rumbled just underneath Henry's skin and he was forced to take a steadying breath. He closed his laptop with more force than he intended and turned his attention to Will.

Of course Will being Will, he read Henry's body language with his piercing gaze. Henry couldn't help but watch as Will's eyes dilated a fraction before he took a lightning fast perusal of Henry's whole set up. Henry was prepared for Will to make a comment about it, but all Will did was offer a small smile.

"Mystery man? Does Magnus want to see me?" Will's eyebrows raised a hair as he pulled out the end chair next to Henry. With a contented sigh he sat down, placing a small stack of files on his lap. He smiled at Henry, a slow, easy thing that seemed to brighten and transform Will from the inside out.

Henry cleared his throat, his throat momentarily dry. He uncrossed his legs and leaned toward his laptop. "Yeah, she and Ashley both ordered me to tell you the Boss-Lady wanted to talk to you when -- if I saw you first." _Geez, even he was starting to say it too._

"I haven't been shuttered away in my bedroom. I've been seeing patients since early this morning," Will said with a frown.

_I know; I can smell them on you_. Henry shrugged, the movement filled with a sudden infusion of anger. "All's I know is Magnus wanted to see you. You'll probably find her in the lab." He said tersely. Where had the sudden mood come from? Henry grunted inwardly. _From the wolf, of course._

Will nodded. "I guess I should go and talk to Magnus then," he said absently.

Henry couldn't help but notice that Will didn't budge an inch; instead he tried to search Henry's eyes.

Henry made sure it was impossible for Zimmerman to do just that. He ignored Will's stare and opened his laptop instead. To his utter irritation, his knee started to tap against the side of the table again, this time his leg shaking so hard that it shook the table slightly every third tap. Henry groaned not so inwardly, his irritation quickly turning to anger. _Which means, if I don't get my crap together, I'll be furry in a few minutes._ It was almost embarrassing that he couldn't control himself around Zimmerman. In most cases there was a video game between them, so Henry didn't feel Will's presence so acutely. But today there was nothing but a table and some gadgets between them. _How the hell was he going to get long term stability with his wolf if he couldn't even sit beside his friend and have a normal conversation? _

Henry slammed his laptop closed again and glared at the man next to him. "Was there anything you needed from me? Are you here to do research or something and need this entire room? Magnus said she wanted to see you a while ago. I'm betting it's for something important. Maybe you should go see what she wants?"

Will clenched his jaw and leaned forward a fraction, and watched Henry wordlessly. After a moment of more strained silence (and Henry on the verge of barely contained homicide), he blinked.

"There are more important things going on right now, right here. Are we going to address this, or are we going to keep pretending that there's nothing going on?"

The scent from the pineapple upside-down cake wafted to Henry's nose, and he took the opportunity to take a large bite of the remainder of the slice, fully aware that he was putting their conversation on hold like Will had just done. _So. He knows._ He chewed slowly, buying himself more time. "Why does everyone here think that there's something going on? And even if there is, why does no one trust me to be able to take care of it?"

Will sighed and tilted his head to the side in sympathy. "It's not about trust, Henry, and you know it. We all want to see you at your best, and we want to help you achieve that. I've given you time to deal with this on your own for the last month. I have noticed progress, but I haven't seen enough to make me feel confident that your wolf won't come out and strike." Will leaned further forward, the files on his lap all but forgotten as he reached out and stopped Henry's leg from rocking with just a mere brush of his fingers. "Let me help," he pleaded.

The wolf was all but ready to explode out of Henry --until Will touched his leg. The scent of pineapples filled his nostrils and seemed to tinge his nose hairs. It couldn't just be the cake he just consumed, his nose wasn't that great.

The wolf whined in trepidation inside of Henry before stepping down and giving him full reign of his body again.

What was that about?

Henry titled his head to the side and took an experimental sniff of the air. The pineapple scent was so cloying that he needed to close his eyes and smell again.

_Huh_. The scent coming from his plate was a little stale. This new scent…_this_ scent of pineapples was so fresh Henry ,was sure Bigfoot had just cut open a pineapple fresh from the Bahamas right next to him.

Yeah, right next to him.

Henry opened his eyes and found Will staring at him, still waiting for his response. All the air in Henry's body exited immediately. He returned Will's gaze, completely gob smacked. _The scent wasn't coming from the leftover cake, but from Will_.

What was going on?

Somehow, Henry found his tongue and formed coherent words. "I don't know what to say to you right now, Will. This whole thing is throwing me through the ringer. We were fine a month ago, but since then everything's changed." He broke eye contact with Will and stared at his hands in his lap instead. "And it keeps on getting stranger. I wish there was a way to get all this out in the open, you know, a way to talk to the wolf."

Henry dragged his eyes to Will's face and watched Will mulled over his words. Despite the situation, Henry found it amusing that Will's tongue seemed firmly lodged in his cheek. A moment later, Henry came to attention when his green eyes sharpened on Henry. "You could challenge me."

What?

Huh? "Huh? Challenge? What the heck are you talking about?" Henry shook his head, anger and panic rising to the surface, all amusement gone now. "No, can't do it. Look, I know I've been schizo around you lately, but that's because of the wolf. If you give me more time, I can work this out." In a confusing move, the wolf seemed to like the idea and was starting to bring his bloodlust to the surface.

Will nodded, his movement picking up steam as he warmed to the idea. "I understand that. But if you're going to live with the wolf you've got to embrace both the good and the bad… and the grey areas -- its nature."

"What do you think I've been doing since it started surfacing?" Henry said darkly. "I've been doing nothing but that since I turned down that stupid surgery; I've been playing catch up since the day I was _born_. You have no idea what I'm going through right now. If you did, you'd let me try to figure it out _without violence,_ and you definitely wouldn't be offering to help."

Will suppressed a sigh before rubbing his face roughly in obvious exasperation. He looked Henry square in the eye. "I don't know what you're feeling? Henry, I'm your psychiatrist. It's my job to know what you're thinking and it's also my job to offer to help. I'll tell you what's going through your head right this minute.

"You're distrustful of me; you don't know whether we should be best friends or if you should eat me. You're extra protective of Ashley, Magnus and Bigfoot because they're you're pack and I've come in here and also claimed them as my own. _I'm_ the outsider. _I'm_ the new guy and you've been here for years. We're about the same age, size and if you weren't an abnormal we'd be pretty evenly matched in a fight."

Henry leaned away from Will his head almost dizzy from the scent of pineapples, and at the speed in which he'd been shaking his head. "I'm not jealous of you, Will. I know my place on this team, and I know where I'm needed."

"Stop thinking like a man and start thinking like a wolf." Will said, a shade of anger coloring his voice. "We're not your team -- we're your pack. The wolf -- and it's dominant, Henry -- wants to solidify its place in the pack. It -- _he _-- wants to challenge me for the position he feels is rightfully his."

To Henry's shock, the wolf growled in agreement with Zimmerman's words. In fact, the wolf wanted to challenge Will right then and there. _Did the wolf really want to be second in command?_ Henry turned his erratic eyes to Will's calmer ones. "Beta…? But Will, I don't want to be the second. That's not me, not my scene. I'm more than happy being the tech guy."

Will smiled softly and the scent of pineapples rose to another level. Henry rubbed his nose distractedly. "I know you don't, Henry. We're all happy that you're the tech guy too. But the wolf inside you doesn't know that. All he knows is that I'm a threat. The only way he's going to get over the need to challenge me is by you embracing your wolf's nature."

"And challenge you?" Henry asked, incredulous. "I can't just turn into the wolf and attack you. Are you insane?" he ran his hands through his hair hoping against hope that he heard his friend wrong.

"Far from it. Just hear me out --"

"How about you stay out of my way until I can control the wolf? Then we'll talk, when there isn't a chance of me taking a chunk out of more than your ego."

Henry set angry eyes on Will and wasn't one bit surprised that Will returned the favor. Leaning back in his chair, Henry pinched his nose to stave off the scent that was erupting off of Will.

What did the scent mean?

Will sighed and his eyes lost their hard edge. "Who says you have to turn into your wolf? Maybe we can satisfy the wolf's more primitive nature before you lose control."

"Why risk it? I can't… I don't want your blood on my hands if something goes wrong."

"I can take care of myself, Henry."

"Like hell you can! You're a great profiler and psychiatrist Will, but you're no match for me when I'm in full Were mode, man." Henry said, his anger rising and he trembled with the urge to lash out at his friend.

Will ignored Henry's behavior and rolled his eyes. "Jeez, Henry. Cocky much?"

"I don't know Will. Stupid much?"

Zimmerman cracked a smile, and Henry didn't find it at all hard to reciprocate it. "Henry, we can do this. It _can_ be done."

"Yeah, let's not." Henry popped open his laptop for the umpteenth time and turned his attention to the configurations he was supposed to be working on.

Henry heard Will's exasperated sigh, but he didn't hear Will leave. _Freaking psychiatrist; wasn't he supposed to be able to read body language or something? Right now Zimmerman was batting like, Oh for a million._

"You can't keep on avoiding this and expect it to go away. Or try to convince yourself that you've got it under control when you don't." Will said, trying unsuccessfully to quell his anger. Henry could smell it (a mix of olive oil and burnt tires) coming off his skin like a mist.

_Okay, fighting was going to get them nowhere fast. _Henry let a substantial pause fill the air between them, then he spoke, never lifting his head from the computer screen, "Burying your head in the sand never did anybody any harm."

Will chuckled beside him, the air between them eased. Henry made sure the laptop completely obscured his face from Will before he let his lips turned up in amusement right along with Zimmerman.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Will asked, his voice dually incredulous and humored.

Henry sighed. _It seemed like both of them were doing a lot of that lately. _He looked around the laptop screen and peered at a very tired and frustrated looking Zimmerman. _I'll throw him a bone. Sorta._ "Don't answer that. Look, I know you're trying to help but I'll figure it out. I just need more time."

"_Henry_…"

"_Will_."

Will twisted his lip and narrowed his eyes, but after a moment he rolled them in exasperation. "Despite what you believe, my plan of fixing this is miles better than just ignoring or internalizing." Will raked his hands over his face and through his hair in resignation before pointing a finger in Henry's face, his green eyes and posture vexed. "Fine, I'll give you more time, but you get a week before I start brainstorming with Magnus."

Henry swatted Will's finger out of his face and smiled. "Don't worry. As soon as I think I'm in over my head, I'll give your ideas a go. A lot can happen in a week. I want to make sure I don't hurt you more than you don't want to be hurt. The last thing I want to do is lose myself in the wolf and make matters worse. Hopefully, I'll be able to control the wolf before it comes to that. Can you trust me to at least try it my way?"

Will leaned back in his chair with slow exhale and searched Henry's face. The smell of fresh pineapples rose again to an almost unbearable level. Then, just as quickly as the scent rose, it subsided. Will smiled softly, the gesture transforming his face into a picture of quiet serenity and conviction, "Yeah, I trust you. You know that."

_Can you try to be a little more confident in Will's abilities? And if not his abilities, have more confidence in your own._

Henry cleared his throat again, and then nodded. "Good. Now all I need to do is trust myself."

Three days.

That's all it took before things reached the boiling point.

It was another big mission – a little girl that could control the weather. It'd taken them all of a day to locate her, but it got trickier when it came to actually convincing the little girl to trust them enough to get close enough to help her. That alone took another day, then another day after that to convince the little girl's clueless parents that they had a potential disaster on their hands in the form of their pride and joy.

Pride and joy, _yeah right_. Henry's heart still dipped into his stomach when he remembered seeing the formidable Ashley being thrown several feet into a brick wall, via sand devil.

Sand devil? That thing was a tornado. Really. If Henry hadn't seen it with his two eyeballs he didn't know if he could believe it. He watched his sister get tossed around like a rubber ball inside the wind trap (causing only a few fractured and bruised ribs, if you can believe it), feeling completely useless. Who knew someone as cute and cuddly as the little girl could be that dangerous? Lisle, her name was; how cute is that? A head full of glossy brown curls, button nose, a lisp, big blue eyes; she was even clutching a teddy bear _and_ a tattered yellow blanket—while she was destroying buildings. He should've known she was dangerous. Hell, he had a clue about such things. He wasn't exactly fugly, and he was a predator. Maybe the most dangerous creatures came in cute packages? (Watch out ladies, Henry's on the prowl) Anyway, no one that cute could be completely human.

After Magnus and Will made a room for the girl at the Sanctuary (and reassured her concerned parents that she'd be safe and yes, they could visit), with a quick psyche exam thrown in for good measure, the team was finally able to relax and congratulate themselves on a job well done.

They were in Magnus' lab, glasses of wine between them that Bigfoot had so skillfully provided the moment they'd returned triumphant. Between the smiles, jokes and relieved comments, Magnus had asked Henry to pull up the young girl's room for a quick checkup.

Just a hint of it. Fresh pineapples, _again_.

Though he despised the scent now, Henry lifted his head from the laptop and sniffed the air, tracing it. His nose dragged his face (reluctantly) to the far corner of Magnus' lab, where Will and Ashley were leaning over Magnus' desktop, watching the footage from their latest mission, talking amicably, their postures relaxed and at ease.

Ash mumbled under her breath, and Will's face lit up as he laughed. He shoved Ashley's shoulder playfully with his own, garnering a half-hearted complaint from the blonde.

For some reason, the whole cozy display Henry. He frowned to himself. He didn't know why, exactly. It just did.

As if feeling Henry's gaze on him, Will looked over his shoulder at him and smiled at him gently, his smile and eyes conveying something Henry understood, identified with. _It's okay;_ Will's look seemed to say. With a quick wink, Henry turned his attention back to Ashley and the surveillance footage.

Henry sighed and cleared his throat, a little parched. _Yeah, it was okay_.

Except it wasn't.

The wolf growled threateningly in the back of Henry's throat. _Like hell it's okay. Ashley is yours to protect, not his. Not his. This territory is yours. Yours._

That's when it happened. The boiling point.

Henry bit his bottom lip hard. Not a moment later he tasted the blood as it trickled into his mouth.

_Blood_.

Before he could fully grasp the taste in his mouth, the wolf overtook Henry's consciousness. It happened so fast, Henry didn't know it'd happened until after the fact. After he no longer had control of his body.

_This area is mine. Mine_.

_No, that's not how I feel. I don't care about any of that!_ Henry screamed in his mind, but the wolf didn't listen. He could only watch, his body no longer his own.

The data pad fell from his hands when his fingers began to elongate, growing talons that were all too familiar in his nightmares. His nose turned into a snout, his human canines stretched into his inner predator's life threatening ivories. Fur spotted and dotted his arms and legs when they elongated. His shoes broke off, shirt stretched and ripped, jeans ripped from right down the seams from the waist down. The wolf stood tall, half changed, and belted out a roar that caused everyone in the room to turn around in surprise.

In his mind's eye, he could already see himself (_No, not me, the wolf! _Henry pleaded to himself) tearing meat from bone, hear the shatters, fractures, and ruptures of vital organs and screams; Will's screams of pain and sheer terror as the wolf tore into him gleefully. _He could almost taste Will's blood._

"This is _mine_. You will die." The wolf said, using Henry's vocal cords. The tone of the voice was foreign, deep and halted. Henry could feel the wolf rooting around in his memories, yanking out phrases to convey his message.

Bigfoot was at the wolf's side in an instant. He grabbed Henry's fur covered arms just as the wolf propelled itself toward Will and Ashley, preventing the wolf from taking Will's head off.

"What's wrong? Henry?" Will said as he began to make his way over to Henry and Bigfoot seemingly oblivious to the murderous intentions of the Were.

_Get back! He'll kill you! _Henry yelled from behind the wolf's eyes.

Ashley grabbed Will by the arm and yanked him back. "Are you crazy? Stay back!"

Bigfoot grappled with the wolf again when he tried to meet the psychiatrist halfway, losing his grip for a hair's breadth of a second, and with a growl of his own, he dug his fingers back into the wolf's elbows.

"Ashley!" Magnus called. Ash snapped her head up from the display of strength just in enough time to catch the tranquilizer gun her mother had thrown at her. She let go of Will's arm and with a quick glance she examined the shells in the gun. Her eyes shot to her mother, fear and confusion on her face, "These are full strength. I thought more than one of these could kill him. Mom?"

Magnus spared her daughter a glance before aiming her own tranquilizer gun at Henry and a struggling Bigfoot. "I will not lose another team member, Ashley."

"But _Mom_-"

"It won't come to that, Magnus." Will said from beside Ashley, his eyes only for Henry as he stepped closer to the man--beast. He lifted his hands in surrender, his manner both authoritative and accepting. "What's wrong, Henry? What triggered this? Can you still talk?"

The wolf saw red, his bloodlust at full swing. All he wanted to do was rent Will in half. _If I could only get one piece I'd be satisfied- for the moment._

"My place. Not yours. I protect. Not you." The wolf said with the half muzzle, half mouth. Even though he was hard to understand, Henry was convinced the wolf got his point across.

Will's eyebrows (and the brows of everyone else in the room) rose in surprise. "Am I talking to the wolf? Where's Henry?"

The wolf growled, irritated that there was not action being taken. _He just wanted the blood, all the blood._ But something in Will halted his attack. "I the wolf. Henry gone. He won't fight. _I fight_."

Will stared at the wolf for a moment, examining the situation. Henry saw through the wolf's eyes the moment Will's eyes dilated a fraction and he began profiling in his lightning fast manner.

_Why now? Forget all that and run!_ Henry yelled from the back of his mind. _Why aren't you shooting? Kill me. Someone kill me. Please._

The faintest of smiles crossed Will's face before he shook his head, his green eyes turning as hard as emeralds. "Who the hell do you think you are, Wolf?" He said, quietly, his jaw clenched in indignation. "Henry's the dominant personality. Since when have you been allowed to talk?"

_SHUT UP, WILL!_ Henry hollered, at his wits end. Did Will _want_ to die? He sure seemed to be asking for it.

The wolf straightened his legs and took a few steps toward Will. He pounded his chest once, and then twice, "I am his wolf." The statement was all pride and arrogance.

"Aim for the vital organs," Magnus said under her breath, adjusting her sight to compensate for the wolf's movements. "You've three minutes to get control of this situation Will, before I stop it."

_Finally_, Henry thought with a level of eerie comfort, _the best thing they can do for me is put me down at this point._

"But _Mom_. It's Henry!" Ashley exclaimed, but Henry was relieved to know that she adjusted her gun as she issued her complaint. That was his Ashley, a soldier to the end. He'd miss her when it was all over.

"Shoot to kill," was Magnus' only reply.

All wasn't completely lost. Now, if only Will'd shut up…

"What, is that supposed to explain everything?" Will scoffed, disdain so thick Henry was sure that he could touch it- if he had the use of his hands. "That's nothing; _you're nothing. _Without my friend, you don't exist."

As soon as the words were out of Will's mouth, Henry was bombarded with that God forsaken scent of _pineapples_ again and—

The wolf hesitated, weakening. "Friend?" the wolf tried the strange word on Henry's partially changed tongue.

"Yes, _friend_. You wouldn't know what it means. Now give Henry back the use of his body before I kick your ass." Icebergs; that's what Will's voice reminded Henry of.

The wolf shrank back in fear, a shiver passed through him--and when the wolf realized what he did, he tried to gain back the lost ground. "Not scared—"

"Giving Henry back his body doesn't require talking. Shut it." Will said darkly, his voice barely above a whisper. "And if you do this _ever_ again, _I will come for you_."

The wolf was so scared he almost pissed in Henry's ripped up jeans.

The wolf collapsed to the floor under Will's gaze, the scent of pineapples seeming to help force the wolf to sprawl on the floor, as low as he could possibly get. The scent of pineapple was all he could smell when Will stood above him. He was so close Henry's nose-snout touched the edge of Will's boot. The wolf's urge to close the half inch between his tongue and Will's boot for a lick was palpable.

_What the hell? Lick his boot? Why was the wolf so scared?_ To say Henry was confused would be an understatement. Definite understatement.

The wolf looked up at Will, and flinched when the man returned the gaze with his own hard stare. "Why are you still here? Change and give Henry back to me."

"Can't change. Too soon--"

"_Change_."

The wolf made quick work of the order. Half changed fur-skin returned to its usual human countenance, teeth shortened, talons turned back into fingers, snout became nose again and grizzly jaw became an ordinary sarcastic mouth. Henry felt the wolf retreat mentally as well, as if afraid of what punishment Will would mete out. Henry shuddered as he felt the wolf cowering in the dark recesses of his brain.

What. The. Hell.

Henry turned onto his back, his muscles like putty from the half change. Exhaustion beat at him insistently as he tried to focus his mind and emotions enough to put the obvious clues together. The sound of his heavy exhales was all he could hear, all his senses temporarily deadened because of the abrupt partial change.

Lethargic, Henry tried to fixate on Will (pineapples, pineapples, _pineapples_) as he knelt beside him, his face no longer cold, but strained with a mixture of worry and alleviation.

He gave Henry his best reassuring psyche smile. "Hey,"

"Will? The wolf-- he's scared. I don't understand, what's happening?" he asked, dazed from all the endorphins flooding his body. _He wanted to sleep, God he wanted it so bad._

Will's smile intensified, and Henry couldn't help but feel peace when he looked at it_._ "It's okay; everything's okay, Henry. Just sleep it off. Alright? I'll be waiting for you when you get up. I promise you, we'll talk about it when you wake up. Trust me?"

The last thing Henry remembered before succumbing to the slumber his friend had requested, was Will kneeling over him, smiling his eyes shining in relief. It was the potent aroma of pineapples that followed him into his rest.

_Yeah, I trust you. _

Henry awoke with a shout in his throat, sweat cascading down his temple, breath coming out in shorts bursts.

His dreams were out to get him.

The nightmarish images from the attack on Will earlier seemed to combine their strength for an unending onslaught of torment. The images grew as the dream had progressed, giving the images life. Except the images weren't true to what had happened. Henry was pretty sure he hadn't separated Will's scull from his spine, or ravaged upon his flesh until he had his fill. Nevertheless, the dream seemed real. _Very real_. It was hard to separate dream from reality at this point, but Henry was pretty sure that he hadn't killed Will. Maybe.

A movement in the corner of his eye brought Henry's attention to the glass window across the room from him; Magnus. His eyes travelled from hers and he looked around the room just noticing his surroundings. He was in a cell, an observation cell. White washed walls, white tile flooring, standard hospital bed (with the added straps for restraint, á la insane asylum-- at least he wasn't shackled in like usual), the gently wheeze of the ventilation shaft, white sheets, white chairs and a white door. Very clinical, to say the least.

Oh, and he was very naked. Henry sat up in the hospital bed, looking for some clothes. There was a pile of neatly stacked clothes on the chair beside the bed. Henry didn't waste time; he clamored out of the bed and immediately began to clothe himself. His cheeks didn't turn all the way rosy at the prospect of Magnus seeing him in his birthday suit. Well, it wasn't a prospect since Helen never bothered to turn away when he got out of bed.

His foster Mom had seen him naked. _Awesome_. Now all he needed was for Ashley to waltz in and ask for a repeat performance.

"This is hardly the first time I've seen the male anatomy, Henry. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. If you care to remember, I'm the one that raised you." Magnus said, peacefully amused.

This time Henry blushed and there was no almost about it. "I know, Magnus, but it's been a long time since you've seen me this way. I'm not a kid anymore."

"I wasn't around when you were a kid. Seeing you naked would be a whole new experience for me."

Will.

There he stood, watching Henry on the other side of the glass pane, a poorly concealed grin on his face. Very much alive and apparently in a good mood.

Henry looked up and shuddered when his wolf whined in fear. Luckily it wasn't aloud. "W-what? Why would you want to see me naked?" Henry asked, incredulous. He hoped he sounded normal, given his wolf was acting anything but.

Will grinned full out; his blue eyes sparkled with impishness. "Blackmail, of course. Why else do you think I keep my phone handy? It's for the camera. Gotta be ready at a moment's notice."

Henry rolled his eyes at the role reversal (wasn't jokes his thing?) and tried to keep the laugh out of his voice and face. "Yeah? I thought it was for taking pics of the nasties that jump out at us. You know, for further analysis?"

"Nah," Will said. "Strictly for blackmailing on the fly."

Henry laughed, his emotions leveling out the longer he bantered with his friend. Henry knew exactly what Zimmerman was doing, but he couldn't fault him for it. Will wouldn't be Will if he didn't try to help even if it meant doing something out of his comfort zone (Henry had learned early that when Will was in psychiatrist mode, he was capable of just about anything). "I think you've been hanging out with Ashley too much. She's a bad influence on you."

Will chuckled and scratched the back of his head, his eyes downcast. "I could say the same thing about you. You two are practically attached at the hip."

Did he hear a touch of regret in Will's tone? Henry glanced at Magnus and found her looking at Will too, her eyebrows raised. Well, whatever it was, he wasn't the only one who noticed it.

Henry turned away and buckled his jeans before turning around and pulling the t-shirt Helen (or Bigfoot most likely, since it was his favorite green shirt) over his head. "Eh, Ash and I aren't any more attached at the hip than any other siblings are," he felt compelled to say.

Fully clothed, Henry faced his team mates with the kind of confidence only total techno-geeks guys can have. "So, can someone explain to me what happened earlier? Things are a little hazy."

"How do you feel?" Will asked concern evident in his furrowed brows.

Henry groaned as he approached the glass window. He rubbed his face. "I feel like I need to figure out how I'm not going to do time for manslaughter the next time we're in the same room together. Other than that, just freaking peachy."

Will rolled his eyes. "You're not going to hurt me. You had every chance to do it earlier, and you didn't. You said that you were scared. Maybe that will lead to something. Do you remember how you felt when that was happening?" he said, most of his words more statement than question.

Was it just him, or did Henry get the impression Zimmerman already had a clue to what was going on?

Henry shook himself mentally and pressed his lips together. "Yeah, I remember. I was all ready to lay the smack down on you, then it smelled like pineapples and the next thing I know, my wolf is scared to death. _Of_ _you_. And dude, what's with the pineapples?"

Will froze and stared at Henry blankly for a moment. "What?"

_So, finally able to surprise you, eh?_ Henry thought smugly. Really smugly.

"Is it the scent of pineapples that triggers the fear in you, Henry?" Magnus asked as she stepped up to the observation glass.

Henry nodded. "Yeah. At first I thought it was all the pineapples I've been snacking on-- and the cakes, too. But since I've smelled it, I've lost my taste for it. And the wolf could be raging at the bit, ready to lay waste, but as soon as he gets a whiff of pineapple—Will -- he backs off."

Will's face was curiously blank, his blue eyes giving away nothing. _What the hell?_ "You mean he becomes docile?"

"No, I mean he submits. To you. He's totally convinced you'll wipe the floor with him."

Silence reigned between the three of them as they mulled over the new information.

"Henry, would you mind leaning against the back wall for a moment? I would like to experiment for a moment." Magnus asked her eyes dark with inquisitiveness.

Henry knew what Magnus had in mind, and he wasn't going to have it. "No deal, Magnus. I could kill him if you let him in here with me. There's too much of a risk. I won't do it. Will, _tell her_," he pleaded to his friend.

Which was really stupid. Will was just as bad as Magnus when it came to solving a mystery, wasn't he? Will gave Henry his most calm face (aka the "Don't- worry-everything's-going-to –be-fine-it's-just-the-Apocalypse" face), "It'll be okay. You won't hurt me, I know it."

Henry groaned again and yanked at his hair. "I really, _really_ don't want to murder you right now, but if you try to come in here, I will."

Will watched him for a second before his lips quirked. "Yeah? Well, I'll take the blame if you kill me. It's the least I can do."

Wait, was he _amused_? Was he the only one that was taking this seriously? Henry sighed, "Scientists." Henry mumbled dejectedly under his breath. He looked up at both Magnus and Will. "That was the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say, Will."

Will chuffed a laugh. "I can't be great all the time." He sobered quickly and cleared his throat. "But it's true, I won't blame you."

Henry raised his arms and placed them on either side of the glass pane, supporting his weight with his hands as he leaned into the glass. He glared at Will. "At last you're starting to see the danger in all of this. But have you really got it? I could've -- I could've killed you earlier, man. I don't want to risk it; I don't want to risk you or anyone. Couldn't live with it."

Will's eyes took on a gleam that Henry suspected were the beginnings of tears. Hell, he was starting to feel a little emotional himself. "I get that, Henry. But you didn't hurt me before. You even changed back from a partial change- which you hadn't been able to do since going off the meds. I trust you to handle your wolf. Why can't you trust yourself too? I trust you with my life. And… even if it kills me, it's worth it."

Henry turned hard eyes on Will and shook his head, all sympathy gone. "Stop being crazy, jerk. My wolf finding his place on the team is not worth your life, Will. It's just not."

Will leaned into the glass and mirrored Henry's stance, matching his palms with Henry's on the other side of the windowpane, his steady breath steaming the glass slightly, "It is to me."

"What? Why?"

Will tilted his head, disbelief evident by widening of his eyes. "It should be obvious," he said, surprised. He sighed and stared hard at Henry. "Because you're my friend, that's why. Does there need to be more? You saved my life--you and your wolf. And you'd do it again if you had the chance. I'm your doctor and I want what's best for you. No matter what it takes. If we don't do this, how am I ever going to repay the favor?"

Touched, Henry smiled softly. "Dude, you don't have to repay me for that. Continuing to suck at all things gaming is payment enough."

Will's eyes softened and they smiled at each other wordlessly.

"I'm sorry to disappoint boys, but I don't believe it will to come to that." Magnus said, her eyes filled with amusement.

Will continued to look at Henry (with a look he could only describe as spellbound-- in a manly way), Henry bit at Magnus' obvious bait. He broke eye contact with Will and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it seems the wolf is afraid of Will when he emanates a particular scent. A scent that the wolf associates with a feeling he has."

Will frowned, snapping out of his masculine daze. "But have Henry's sensory abilities grown to the extent that he'd be able to sense our moods? I just read his body language, and that's what clued me in he was—" Will glanced under his eyelashes at Henry before stopping his train of thought abruptly. "It hasn't been very long since he's been off the meds. And why hasn't he said anything about it?"

Henry lowered his hands and waved his them at Helen and Will. "Yo, I'm right here. And… well, I think the wolf is a bigger part of me than any of us thought. I think that explains the stronger meds."

Magnus turned her attention to Henry fully. "Is it just the scents that have been enhanced to extremes, or is it all your senses, not just the rapid healing you've been experiencing?"

"It's everything. But it's my nose that's grown the most out of all the senses. I usually get a whiff of you guys a little while before you reach me. And, uh, I can smell your moods when they're strong."

Well, they didn't have to have very strong emotions for him to pick it up, but that knowledge was for another day. Besides, he didn't want them to start acting weird around him, like they were afraid he would know their real feelings or something (which he could… just sayin').

Henry pinched the bridge of his nose and crossed his arms as he waited for Will or Helen to speak. When neither spoke for over a minute, he started to shift back and forth on his feet.

"Are you sure when you're sensing our moods you aren't letting your wolf take control, even partially?" Helen asked.

Henry shook his head. "My control's gotten better but it's not _that_ good. I think I'd have to change into the wolf to use all the wolf's senses at full tilt. I think my senses are naturally like this. I don't think he's my other half, I think he's my three-fourths."

Magnus smiled, "I wouldn't say it's that much, Henry. But I'm starting to believe you and your wolf counterpart are fully integrated. I'll have to run some more tests, but I think your body and mind are no longer in conflict with each other."

"Except for whatever's happening between Will and me." Henry caught Will's eyes. "A few minutes ago you said that I was able to control myself and stop the change. But it wasn't me, it was you."

Will's shook his head ever so slightly, his eyes taking on a blank expression again. "No, I can't make you do anything, Henry. That's wasn't the purpose."

"What was the purpose, exactly?" Magnus asked, "And for the record, Next time I would appreciate it if you would notify me of your plans."

Will glanced between Henry and Helen before running his hands through his short blond hair. "I didn't know for sure, but I had my suspicions." He sighed, surrendering to the argument, his eyes finding Henry's. "They were confirmed when the wolf asserted himself and took over your body. But I had no idea that I you could actually smell me."

"What were you feeling when you stood over Henry?" Magnus cut in, her tone brooking no argument

"I was thinking I was going to end this now, I was thinking that I wanted my friend back. So, after looking at the situation and how it could turn deadly within minutes, I acted on the plan I'd devised a few days ago."

"When did you start feeling this way?" Magnus said, understanding beginning to dawn on her face.

"A couple of days ago, in the library," Henry supplied for Magnus, his eyes only for Will on the other side of the glass panel. "Magnus, can you open the door and let Will inside? I want to get a whiff."

"Certainly."

As soon as the door was opened, Henry was bombarded with the aroma of fresh pineapples from his stance against the glass. From one breath to the next, Henry (or rather, his wolf) had managed to press his back against the glass in trepidation. Will came through the door, his posture purposeful. The wolf came to the surface when Will set bright blue eyes on him. The wolf tried to control Henry's body—only to convince him to lower his head in submission, if he wasn't going to be fully prostrate on the floor.

The realization of what was happening to his wolf hit Henry square in the forehead. He managed to squeak out a laugh through the haze of the wolf's behavior, shaking his head in disbelief. "You don't do anything half way when you set your mind to it, do you?"

Will shrugged, a faint smile playing across his lips. "That's a fair assessment."

Though his nose burned like a house on fire, Henry sniffed the air experimentally. He took in Will's posture and attitude next. "Fearlessness and arrogance, that's what the wolf smelled; he smells how scary you can be when you refuse to admit defeat. You're _dominant_."

Will stopped when he reached the center of the medium sized cell and turned to Henry against the glass panel. "Dominance is a state of mind, and not always about strength. A true dominant doesn't have to exert strength, when a simple command will do."

Both men stared at the other, a silent communication passing between them. Henry's legs began to tremble as awareness finally kicked in. "You _knew_. You knew all along what the wolf wanted. What he really wanted."

"Henry, you've been doing great so far with controlling the urges. You're trying so hard and you were doing everything right, but you were missing one thing."

Henry knew the word before Will even said it, his heart stuttering in his chest.

"Structure. A wolf pack, your wolf, is nothing without boundaries. You both need it to survive. To be able to coexist and have freedom. I want you to be free, Henry, truly free."

Henry moved from his place against the glass window where he leaned, his wolf coming to the forefront of his mind. The wolf directed Henry's slow steps to Will. When he reached the center of the cell, in front of Will, he knelt down on both knees in front of Will and lowered his head. "Bite me, _please_."

"Where?" Will replied softly, carding his hands through Henry's hair gently.

_He's petting me. And I'm okay with it. _

Henry couldn't help but think Will's tone held a little more than a tinge of benevolence. It didn't bother him that Will sounded that way, what bothered him was the thrum of excitement that passed from _him_ to his wolf. Henry was so used to it being the other way around; he didn't quite know what to do with that.

Henry understood now. Will's display of strength and arrogance, disdain and mercilessness when the wolf emerged in the lab was all to show the wolf his place. Will didn't command his obedience and respect from the wolf, it was more he assumed he already had it. It didn't matter that Will wasn't a Lycan, all that mattered was his attitude towards the creature. The wolf felt his place in the pack was being endangered, when all it was only shifting. And now that the wolf knew his place in the pack, he was content. He liked Will (though in a scared out of his mind sort of way), and would do whatever his friend asked.

It bothered Henry that the wolf's feelings had changed so quickly, and had turned so positively. The wolf's level of devotion was already carrying over to Henry and laying roots. Deep roots. Henry didn't know exactly how he felt about that, either.

The wolf nudged Henry, none too gently, when it was taking Henry too long to give Will an answer. _The right answer._

Henry leaned into Will's stomach and rubbed his head against Zimmerman's midsection without much thought, taking in Will's heady scent. _I need you to tell me where my place is in your life. That's all that matters. _"Don't have the right to choose. You pick where." He mumbled into Will's clothed bellybutton.

Will knelt down in front of Henry until they were almost eye to eye. He glanced over Henry's body with a quick flick of his resolved blue gaze, within a minute his decision was made. He held Henry's face in between his hands with steady and gentle hands; their faces so close their nose's bumped against each other once, then twice. Without warning, Will tilted Henry's head to the side roughly and latched his teeth onto the upper tip of Henry's right ear.

Henry inhaled sharply from the shock of Will's action, but he felt his wolf start to pant in happiness. The wolf exuded a sort of relief that Will found him worthy enough to be in the pack, Magnus' pack (though to the wolf, Will was the enforcer). If he were in Were form, Henry was convinced that he'd have his tail between his legs, or better yet, on his back with his stomach exposed.

Will held on until he drew blood, the whole exchange taking no more than a few scant minutes. Henry felt a thin stream of it trickle down into his earlobe, and Zimmerman chose then to let go. He straightened and locked his eyes with a heavy breathing Henry, as he swiped the blood from his lips with a quick flick of his wrist.

Henry was speechless by Will's display of power (over him). The wolf was elated (of course) that Will hadn't spit the blood out onto the unblemished white tile floor.

Then, slowly, the tension drained out of Henry's body and the endorphins kicked in. The men stared at each other again, this time amicably, like they used to before all the Were troubles had changed them.

"So. I guess you were serious about doing whatever it takes, huh?" Henry said a little breathlessly.

Will reached into his back jean pocket from his kneeling position, pulled out a piece of cloth. He leaned forward and pressed the cloth against Henry's ear, shrugging in the process. "No, there isn't much I wouldn't do." He said, ducking his head and focusing his attention on Henry's ear.

Did Henry detect a blush on Zimmerman's cheeks?

Magnus' voice came over the intercom, interrupting Henry's thoughts. He could hear the satisfaction in her voice. "Well, then. It seems your plan was successful. There isn't much else to say other than, Dr. Zimmerman, welcome to the pack; Beta."

Will didn't say anything, just chuckled as he applied pressure to Henry's ear.

"Hey."

Will's eyes moved to Henry's when he called his name softly. Henry reached up and placed a hand on Will's right shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Welcome to the pack."

A small smile bloomed on Will's face after a moment, and he nodded. "Thanks."

Henry shook his head, and chuffed a laugh. "No, dude, I should be the one thanking you. So, thank you. For everything."

Will's blue eyes sparkled like diamonds, a full grin blooming on his face, "Yeah, anytime."

_Epilogue_

_Life is good,_ Will thought with a smile. He had complaints, but none of them were new, so he was content.

He sat in his current favorite place, the library. He'd taken possession of the small circular table in the center of the large space as soon as he'd arrived. Several files surrounded him as he tried to focus on the task at hand with little success, his thoughts wandering into foolish directions.

A lot had happed at the Sanctuary since The Incident (as Will and Magnus were calling it behind Henry's back; Henry was calling it "That big freaking wolf smack down thing that happened a couple of days ago"; Will thought his and Magnus' title was a little simpler, but only just). They'd helped half a dozen abnormals, he had a breakthrough with the weather controlling kindergartener (he wasn't surprised the child had temper tantrums in the form of acts of God, he'd be upset too if he'd found out _Barney_ had been cancelled without his knowledge—if he was a five year old girl, that is), and lives had been saved without said lives being aware they were in peril; as it should be.

And, things had changed for the better in his friendship with Henry. In the days since The Incident, Henry had begun to discuss his work with Will, had lunch with him, they'd tossed ideas back and forth on several occasions with jokes and good natured ribbing in between. A day didn't go by where they didn't challenge each other to mini gaming tournaments ,or go on quests together on _World of Warcraft_ after a trying day (Henry wanted to be Horde originally, but Will convinced him that they should always fight the good fight, i.e.- Alliance, even in gaming; Henry called him an idiot). Will didn't have to hide the shock on his face anymore when Henry would seek his company for no apparent reason other than to spend time with him.

Will grinned despite himself, _If he keeps doing that, I'm going to develop a complex._ He flipped the status report he was reading to the next page and tried to convince himself that having a complex of that sort was a bad idea. But he was having trouble.

Whatever hesitation Henry seemed to have had about Will was gone. It was a relief for Will, and it really couldn't have come sooner. He still felt guilty on occasion for accusing Henry of shape shifting into the Naga, even though Henry had forgiven him. The actions he took during The Incident went a long way to repair their friendship and his belief in it.

Helping Henry embrace his wolf had unlocked something inside Will. That something had been under the radar since he first laid eyes on Henry all those months before. He'd known about its existence for so long that he couldn't deny it, even when it was subversive at first. Like Henry, he was having trouble embracing its true nature.

Will looked down at his hands, right hand in particular, as the late afternoon light filtered through the library's window and made the sticky inkblots on his thumb and index finger gleam dully. A moment later, his mind's eye returned him to Henry's observation cell. He saw and remembered running his hands through Henry's hair, his right hand twitched three times with the memory of it.

He'd felt so comfortable then, if not a little too relaxed. He'd never felt so confident and in control of himself (or his patient) in his life as he did in that cell, at that most pivotal of moments. He knew without a shadow of doubt he had _helped_ Henry.

_Thanks. For everything._

That alone was more than enough to put Will in a hopeful mood for the next several days. But now, _now_, he was on cloud nine.

Henry trusted him.

Henry's blue-grey eyes came to mind, when he was pleading with Will to give him more time to control his wolf.

_Do you trust me?_

_Yeah, I trust you. You know that._

He trusted Henry implicitly as well, and with more than his life.

Trust did not come naturally for Will (not any more at least), despite his tries at it. Maggie could attest to that, he was sure. But with Henry, it was almost organic. He hoped with all his soul that he wouldn't destroy that trust. Because now there was no turning back.

Will didn't notice Ashley until she was right on top of him, his mind fully occupied with his mostly optimistic musings.

"So." Ashley said as she hopped onto the table beside Will's chair, pushing files out of her way and throwing her right leg over her left thigh. Her face was obviously expectant, and Will wondered, with no small amount of panic, what the hell he was supposed to be supplying for her.

Will's panic subsided when his own personal motto surfaced in his mind.

_If you can't hear, see._

Yes, because the body spoke in ways the tongue could never hide.

He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes a fraction.

(_Shaking legs, body vibrating with excitement and curiosity, head looking straight on, lips pressed firmly, nose not flared, no sweat- except on upturned right side palm, unblinking eyes_.)

Oh, she wanted to know about _that_.

Will closed the file he was examining (well, "examining" was a strong word) with a gentle hand, and smiled benignly up at Ashley. "So."

He already knew what she was there for, but it couldn't hurt to give her a chance to change her mind. Though, there was a low probability of that.

But who knows? Maybe Ashley would surprise him, stranger things have happened.

"How does it feel to be a Beta?"

"I'm not a Beta, Ashley. It's more complicated than that." Will shook his head and sighed. _Well, maybe next time would do the trick? After all, it was all about second chances. And third, and fourth, and fifth…_

"Yeah, but as far as Henry's wolf is concerned, you're a Beta. How does it feel to own a slave?" she persisted, a wicked little smile on her face.

"Ash."

"What? That's basically what it is. You get to make him do whatever you want. Hey, are you renting him out? 'Cause Mom's been bothering me about the van, and it could use a good cleaning…"

"That'd be a no," Will said, exasperated yet amused against his better judgment. "And yes, I do have a certain amount of control over Henry's wolf, but I'd never force my control. I'm just here for him whenever his wolf loses his way; I'm there to remind him where the stopping point is. It's more about support than anything."

"Support? Will, you scared the hell out of Henry the other day."

"I scared the hell out of the _wolf_, there's a difference. And if I wasn't truly mad at the wolf all those times I don't think my plan would've been successful."

"Why be angry? His wolf was just doing what came natural." She said, her face scrunched up in confusion.

"I didn't say my anger was rational, Ashley. I just said it was there."

"You won't hear any complaints from me. I'm glad that it worked." Ashley chewed on her lower lip, her eyes taking on a tentative shade. "Henry's never changed into his wolf so quietly before. It was surreal, and frightening. The wolf must've been seriously pissed with you; he managed to keep his whines of pain under control."

"I've never thought the wolf sees the change as painful. I think it's always been liberating for him—he's only freed on rare occasions. And as far as the silent Change, it's not all that complicated. The wolf wanted the advantage. If he'd made even the smallest sound, we would've had enough time to prepare ourselves." Will smiled softly, relief brightening his eyes subtley. "To be honest, I'm glad that it was solved so quickly. The wolf was starting to cut into my time with Henry."

_Oops_. Will would've hit himself in the head, if it wouldn't tip Ashley off more to his flub.

"In the way? Dude, we would've figured it out eventually. Mom's the best person for the job. You and Henry wouldn't have lost all your bromance time forever." Ashley chuckled at her own joke quite happily.

Will rolled his eyes and shifted in his chair. _Good, she didn't catch the slip._ "I know that too. I'd known for a while that Henry was forcing himself to spend time with me. I… it was getting a little lonely, is all. I wanted the real Henry back. He's my only friend—"

"If you finish that statement, I'm going to break some fingers," Ashley said tightly. "What do you call what we're doing now, a lecture? I know we're not BFFs or whatever, but we can talk; _like_ _this_. Anyway, Henry's already got a best friend. Me." She said presumptuously, an eyebrow raised. Clearly she was a Magnus.

Will stared at her a moment, thinking she was making a joke he didn't understand. It occurred to Will rather belatedly that Ashley wasn't. "You're telling me that it's okay for us to hang out and talk; but when it comes to Henry, he's only allowed to have one best friend. You. Shouldn't Henry get a choice, and why can't he have more than one friend?" Ashley's logic had never made sense to Will. _Must take after her father_, he thought.

"Don't put words in my mouth, dude," Ashley said irritably, crossing her arms over her chest. "Henry can have more than one friend; he just can't have more than one best friend."

"Uh. _Okay_." What was else was he supposed to say to that?

"Sorry, but I was here first. You're going to have to find another role to fill in Henry's life."

If Will hadn't thought the same thing several thousand times since meeting Henry Foss, Ashley might have been on to something. But as it was, Ashley was late to a game she didn't even know she was playing.

Once again, Will's mind's eye took him back to the observation cell. _The time before ownership_, as Will started to refer to it in his dreams. He remembered with crystal clarity his mere centimeters from Henry's face, his breath mingling with his, Henry's eyes as large as silver dollars, and just as bright. How his friend's body seemed to convey only one thing, while his eyes said hundreds.

Hm.

_Hm_.

Whatever role Will decided to fill, he knew he would not let Henry's friendship go. He didn't know if he was capable of such a feat, but he would be open to the possibilities.

"Yeah, well. We'll see." Will said absently, opening the file on his lap and returning his attention to it.

"What are you grinning at over there?" Ashley said, as she tried to read Will's body language with a quick perusal.

"It's complicated."

Yes, complicated, but maybe there was hope for him yet.

Maybe.

Thanks for reading! The next story in this verse is Duality of Man. I hope you enjoyed this!


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